ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INTRODUCTION

In completing this task, I found a journal that related to the given assignment by my lecturer - Puan Maghfurah Binti Mohd Zahir. he title of the journal is ! he "ffectiveness of "arly #hildhood $evelopment Programs ! published by "lsevier. his journal %as taken from &merican 'ournal of Preventive Medicine ( )**+ , )- ( +. / /. 0aurie M. &nderson, #arolynne .hinn, Mindy . 1ullilove, .usan #. .crimsha%, 'onathan ". 1ielding, 'ac2ues 3ormand and 4ilma 5. #arande 6 7ulis %ere the authors of this journal. he authors have shared various ideas %ith respect to the appropriate title.

he purpose of this journal is to study about the topics that related to the effectiveness of the program in early childhood learning. It also described the position of 3ational &ssociation for the "ducation of 8oung #hildren ( 3&"8# / about %hat is needed in an effective system of early childhood education %hich is a system that supports a reciprocal relationship among the curriculum, child assessment and also evaluation program. Besides that it also describes the major trends, latest understandings and issues that effected the position of the all statements follo%ed.

Many more children %ould appear in the picture as ever higher proportions of children attend child care, 9ead .tart, preschool, family child care and other programs. :ver the past decade, programs serving young children and families have also changed. #hildren;s developmental are shaped by sources of resilience as %ell as vulnerability. he interaction of biology and the social environment e<erts a po%erful influence on a child;s readiness to learn and on success in school. In addition, risk factors for developmental dysfunction like premature birth, lo% birth %eight and lead poisoning is recogni=ed as a social risk factor.

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ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION THE PURPOSE, METHODOLOGY AND RESULT

"arly childhood intervention programs seek to prevent or minimi=e the physical, cognitive and emotional limitations of children disadvantaged by poverty. "arly childhood development programs are designed to improve the cognitive and social 6 emotional functioning of preschool children. 0o% family income and community poverty also lead to racial and ethnic achievement gaps. .chool readiness, particularly among poor children, may help prevent the cascade of conse2uences of early academic failure and school behavioral problems.

he development team said that teachers today are e<pected to implement more effective and challenging curriculum in language, literacy, mathematics and other areas and to use more comple< assessments of children;s progress. Both preschool teachers and teachers in kindergarten and the primary grades are e<pected to introduce academic content and skills to ever 6 younger children.

1ull day and full year child care and 9ead .tart programs have e<panded. "arly 9ead .tart did not e<ist in >??*, %hile fe% states offered prekindergarten programs. 1ull day kindergarten is no% common in many school districts.

9ead .tart is the national preschool education program that designed to prepare children from disadvantaged backgrounds for entrance into formal education in primary grades. his program tries to bridge the achievement gap. 9ead .tart programs increasingly collaborate %ith other early education programs, including state 6 funded pre 6 kindergarten programs, community 6 based child care providers and local elementary schools. emotional and physical development. he program is based on a comprehensive vie% of the child that includes cognitive, social, he primary goal of 9ead .tart is to bring about a greater degree of social competence in pre 6 school children from lo% 6 income families.

9ead .tart program %as created in >?@A and it has served more than )* *** *** children in its first +A years. he results of this study could help to improve public health policies for young children and children;s readiness for school encompasses a range of skills Page 2

ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION that children need to thrive. he first si< authors of this journal concluded that early childhood development programs %ork by directly improving preschool participants; cognitive and intellectual performance in early childhood. "arly childhood programs improve children;s social competence and social interaction skills %hich combined %ith higher educational attainment. Its also helps to decrease social and health risk behaviors. Bhile the family component promotes both a supportive home environment for healthy development.

I defined that early childhood

development

programs as publicly funded

comprehensive preschool programs designed to increase social competence in children at risk because of family poverty. Programs like 9ead .tart as %ell as other early childhood programs serving disadvantaged families. his program is center 6 based either in a public school or child development center providing an alternative physical and social environment to their home. he systematic revie% also assessed early childhood development programs in terms of four different categories of outcomes %hich is cognitive, social, health and also family.

1rom the journal I can see each categories has its o%n outcomes. 1rom the cognitive revie%, the academic achievement test, school readiness test and IC test has scored and placement in special education. .ocial outcomes sho%ed that the assessment of child;s social competence and assessment of social risk behaviors. #hild health screening sho%ed the receipt of health screening tests and dental e<amination %ithin past year and family outcomes approved that mother and father achieving high school graduation. 1amily income also above poverty level %hile mother and father also employed.

In the 2ualifying studies I identified a total of several effect measures for the four outcomes ( cognitive, social, child health screening and family /. he effects %ere reported more in the cognitive domain %ith limited evidence available for social, health screening and family outcomes. 0ess is understood about the relevance of gains in IC scores to later educational achievement and future success in life. 3either the systematic revie% development team nor the revie%ed literature identified harms or other benefits in the body of evidence.

IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY Page 3

ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

9ead .tart is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to five from lo% - income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and emotional development. 9ead .tart programs provide a learning environment that supports childrenDs gro%th in the follo%ing domains - language and literacy,

cognition and general kno%ledge, physical development and health, social and emotional development and approaches to learning.

9ead .tart programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, %hich include health, nutrition, social, and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. 9ead .tart services are designed to be responsive to each child and familyDs ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage.

9ead .tart emphasi=es the role of parents as their childDs first and most important teacher. 9ead .tart programs build relationships %ith families that support family %ell being and positive parent - child relationships, families as learners and lifelong educators, family engagement in transitions, family connections to peers and community and families as advocates and leaders.

9ead .tart serves preschool - age children and their families. Many 9ead .tart programs also serves infants, toddlers, pregnant %omen and their families %ho have incomes belo% the federal poverty level. 9ead .tart programs offer a variety of service models, depending on the needs of the local community.

Programs may be based in centers or schools that children attend for part-day or full-day services, family child care homes and childrenDs o%n homes, %here a staff person visits once a %eek to provide services to the child and family. #hildren and families %ho receive home-based services gather periodically %ith other enrolled families for a group learning e<perience facilitated by 9ead .tart staff. FLAWS WITH THE ARTICLES & SUGGESTION TO MAKE IT BEEN BETTER Page 4

ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

he seven authors of this article didn;t mention any %eaknesses in the 9ead .tart Program. But from my reading and searching in the related %ebsite there are some fla%s %ith the program. he report sho%ing that the positive effects of 9ead .tart fade out by third grade.

Be kno% that 9ead .tart program provides a long 6 lasting benefit to disadvantaged children. If 9ead .tart cannot protect children against the ! bath;s effects !, they may encounter once they enter the public school system. #hildren %ho received their 9ead .tart treatment year %hen they %ere three years old and %hose mothers %ere not depressed did sustain cognitive outcomes. his proportion should be considered remarkable given the fact that most of the control children still attended some type of formal early education program.

he real truth is that the findings are nothing to jump for joy about, not because of public dings to anyoneDs pet program, but because the 9ead .tart and control group children %ere doing e2ually poorly by the third grade, lagging behind their age-mates in reading and grade promotion rates. Bhen treatment and control groups do e2ually %ell, that is evidence that a program is unnecessary, %hen they do e2ually poorly, that is evidence that >/ the program needs to be fi<ed or an alternative found, and )/ a greater degree of systemic coordination is needed, because no single approach can be used and comprehensive approaches are needed to solve comprehensive problems.

9o%ever, children %ho had "arly 9ead .tart, plus formal care at ages three and four ( %hich, in many cases %as 9ead .tart /, plus a lo%er - poverty school at age five had superior outcomes on measures of cognitive performance seven years later in fifth grade to those students %ho had any t%o, any one, or none of these early educational e<periences ( and having any t%o of the e<periences %as also significantly better than having one or none /. he author concludes here by suggesting state control and parent choice in local early education centers as the alternative to 9ead .tart. he problem %ith this logic is that 9ead .tart 2uality is already %ell-documented as being superior to community child care on average, and mostly in the good or better range. 1or parental E shopping E to be a viable alternative to 9ead .tart, %e %ould have to believe not only that broad - scale child care 2uality can be reached by transferring the Page 5

ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION money from one effort to the other, but also that %ithout all the additional family supports provided by 9ead .tart, attending a 2uality child care center %ould result in narro%ing the achievement gap significantly into at least third grade. 1or %hat is the validity of an alternate proposal if it too %ould not be on the chopping block for failing to meet the same standardF

FUTURE RESEARCH SUGGESTION.

& central characteristic of state child care programs is that parents choose their o%n care. It follo%s that a diverse array of care including centers, family child care in neighbourhoods, and relative care receives subsidies. &lthough many see market diversity as a strength of the system, others see it as chaos. &longside this bustling but arguably fla%ed child care market, a moderate but gro%ing number of preschool programs aimed at stimulating school preparation have been created over the years.

Bhen 9ead .tart began nearly several years ago, very fe% children %ere in facilities that aimed specifically to prepare them for school. Many states and the $istrict of have either established their o%n preschool programs or have used state funds to e<pand 9ead .tart. .ome of the state preschool programs are elaborate. he programs for preschool children have been driven primarily by t%o forces. 1irst, the child care market e<ists largely to provide care for children %hile parents %ork or go to school. his market has facilities of diverse si=e and 2uality that are only lightly regulated.

Gesearch suggests that much of this care is of poor 2uality, although a small fraction of the centers are of high 2uality and are probably the e2uivalent of preschool programs. By contrast, there is a second set of facilities designed specifically to prepare children for school. his sector includes 9ead .tart and the preschool programs established in recent his "arly 9ead .tart program, ho%ever, years by states. In addition, 9ead .tart provides child and family services to poor pregnant %omen and their children through age three. enrolls only about -A,*** children. Both child care and preschool education are important. #hild care is essential to enable both single and married mothers and fathers to %ork. "mployment in turn is central, Page 6

ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION not only to economic opportunity for %omen and to the health of the national economy, but also to the economic viability of families, especially mother - headed families. he >??@ %elfare reform legislation that has been associated %ith remarkable increases in employment and earnings by lo% - income single mothers underlines the importance of this %ork support function of child care.

Preschool education programs are important because they help prepare lo%-income children for school. his issue bears emphasis. & major goal of federal policy has been to improve the educational achievement of poor children. 3o% almost a fe% years later, %e seem to have learned some hard lessons. $espite the e<penditure of billions of dollars on programs for poor preschool children the school readiness gap bet%een poor and more advantaged children persists. 3ot only do poor children enter school %ith serious educational deficits, but the achievement gap bet%een poor and more advantaged children actually increases during the school years.

Based on the best studies that e<isted at that time, the revie% concluded that 9ead .tart produced immediate impacts on IC, school readiness, and three measures of socioemotional development, but that the effects faded %ithin a year or t%o of the time children entered the schools. %o conclusions about preschool education seem justified. 1irst, high 2uality preschool education can very substantially improve the school readiness and school performance of poor and minority children. .econd, 9ead .tart produces results that are more modest than the results produced by high-2uality preschool education programs.

More specifically, researchers and others point to the uneven 2uality among 9ead .tart centers, the need to improve the 2uality of teachers, and the need for increased accountability for results.

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ESEB 2093 EFFECTIVE PROGRAMME IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

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